The Rural Alberta Advantage | Found a Home Here
Hidden Track
The Rural Alberta Advantage's much-anticipated October 2023 album The Rise & the Fall - their first in a half-dozen years - is once again chock full of Albertan references. However, it has also managed to connect with fans from around the world! Renowned UK newspaper The Independent named it one of their Best Albums of 2023, alongside albums by Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Del Rey. Perhaps the most exciting part of this new album, and its subsequent world tour – is that it sees all three original members – and longtime great friends – back in action together. They are Nils...
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Haley Blais | Cracking Wise
Hidden Track
When you think about it, being a YouTuber isn't so different from being a singer-songwriter. In each case, you need to dig deep, be original, authentic and often get incredibly vulnerable – all while the world is looking on. Canadian singer/songwriter Haley Blais has proven truly brilliant in both fields! This hit-YouTuber-turned-award-winning-musician shows us exactly why that is on her new album Wisecrack, and furthermore with the performance she shared with CKUA in this beautifully candid Hidden Track Session. Haley has experienced a unique artistic evolution, to...
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This Is The Kit | Be Okay
Hidden Track
Careful of Your Keepers, the sixth full-length album by This Is the Kit, ends with the mantra-like benediction of "Be Okay". It's a beautifully delicate place to land, after ten songs that navigate their way through a world full of actions, their equal and opposite reactions, and the inextricably linked, overwhelmingly human dance between beauty and pain. It's an album that starts with a goodbye. Or more precisely, it starts with a track called "Goodbye Bite", which carries on with plenty of bite throughout. The lyrics and imagery are are full of teeth and clawing and...
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Sunny War | Punk Rock is a Gateway Drug
Hidden Track
She's truly a study in contrasts – right from her chosen moniker, Sunny War. Her story is an utterly extraordinary one, in terms of both her brilliant musical arc and her often-tumultuous life journey. She spent much of her teens and early 20s as an itinerant busker, living where she could, sometimes hopping trains around the States, experiencing trouble with the law, and battling drug and alcohol addiction. All along, Sunny War's lone constant companion – her true lifeline – has been her guitar. The folk/ punk/ gospel/ blues artist was born Sydney Ward into a...
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A Hidden Track Holiday | Join the Chorus
Hidden Track
'Tis the season to be jolly! This holiday season, CKUA's Hidden Track team busted out the stockings, tinsel and trees, festooned CKUA’s cozy music library with festive décor, and invited a few musical friends over for a special holiday episode! Our guests brought with them some heartfelt reflections on the Yuletide season, some beautiful live performances of holiday songs ranging from ancient to brand-new, and some truly gaudy holiday apparel. Joining us in our Cozy Christmas Corner are CKUA favourites Baby Jey, VISSIA and Hawksley Workman! Baby Jey share a wintery...
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Hidden Track | Be Part of Something (Year End Wrap 2023)
Hidden Track
It's been an amazing Season 4 here at Hidden Track. We've had visits with an astounding array of inspired artists, ranging from local heroes to global greats; from a reigning Polaris Prize winner to a newly minted Grammy Award winner; from hip-hop to hardcore punk to homespun folk. It's been such a wild 2023! So wild, in fact, that we felt the need to do a special episode to wrap up the season. Given the daunting task of summarizing such an incredible season, Grant decided to call in a little help! For this year-end episode, Grant Stovel is joined by Hidden...
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Young Fathers | Up from the Underground
Hidden Track
Made in a basement studio littered with instruments and synth gear, Young Fathers’ new album Heavy Heavy was created entirely by the three members of the band - with the exception of a single guest vocal from a friend. The album features layer upon layer of voices and instruments, creating a sonic maelstrom of dynamics, moods and textures. And while the songs do vary widely, and occasionally tackle dark subjects, the overwhelming feeling is one of joy, connection, celebration, and togetherness. Alloysius Maasaqoui, Kayus Bankole, and Graham Hastings have been together a...
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Arlo Maverick | Continue On My Mission
Hidden Track
Arlo Maverick seems to be on a mission to ensure that Edmonton takes its place as a destination to be reckoned with on the hip-hop map. An award-winning artist, Arlo is a well-loved pillar of the hip-hop community here in Alberta. He's also toured all the way to the other side of the world and back, winning himself global fans and forging a wide network of collaborators. More recently, he's achieved renown as a documentary filmmaker and a chronicler of local hip-hop culture and history. Arlo Maverick is truly solidifying himself as an Edmonton hip-hop ambassador to the world. ...
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Dan Mangan | It's Cool to Care
Hidden Track
Dan Mangan is fond of summing up his whole approach to a creative life in music with a simple axion: "It's cool to care." Dan models that approach in everything he does. Whether he's starting his own label, Madic Records, or co-founding community concert platform, Side Door Access; acting as a longtime vocal advocate for the de-stigmatization of discussions around mental health; or through his countless epic live performances over the years and seven albums to date... it's very clear that Dan cares, and he doesn't mind who knows it. Ever since he first burst out of the...
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Ariel Posen | Restless by Design
Hidden Track
Many first knew Ariel Posen as the mind-bendingly gifted guitar player with fellow Winnipeg act, The Bros. Landreth. Over the years, he’s lent his six-string talents to a wildly eclectic array of artists, ranging from John Mayer to Tom Jones. Ariel Posen’s international stature as a rising guitar star became so substantial that it came as something of a surprise to many when in 2019, he put out his own debut album as a singer-songwriter, How Long. Ariel's solo career, which initially began as a side project for this guitar ace, quickly became his full-time occupation....
info_outlineThe Pixies’ album Doolittle was released thirty years ago this month. It’s an album that’s bursting with arresting-yet-mysterious imagery, captivating-yet-cryptic lyrics, and breathtakingly unexpected musical dynamics and departures. It’s an almost unbelievably dense, compact artistic statement that fascinates at first blush, and heavily rewards repeated listening. There’s a whole world in there. A world we’ll explore with Ben Sisario, who’s the author the book Doolittle, part of the 33 1/3 series. For his book, Ben interviewed front man Black Francis at a pivotal time in the Pixies’ story – just as they were reuniting in the 21st Century after a fifteen-year breakup.
Doolittle was an underground sensation – bubbling just below the level of the hit parade. It left a lasting impression on generations of influential artists, and the rock genre as a whole.